Apparatus for casting



Marh 27, 1934. J. FLAMMANG ET AL 1,952,201

APPARATUS FOR CASTING Filed Aug. 12, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 March -1 J. FLAMMANG El AL 5 5 3 APPARATUS FOR CASTING Filed Aug. 12, 1931 3 Sheets- Sheet 2 31 1 c2 41 i, I l I I l c 1 4 I T T 18 T I I a 17 E v a 8 E l a -3 39* I 4 I V 5 k 8- I I 9 9 1 M ;-.g mg L 17 H :9 I 12 1 c 17 1:25 16 I a Q I! I F- 6 ezvazww Patented Mar. 27, 1934 This invention pertains tomolding apparatus, and more particularly to a metal casting in permanent The casting of metal articles out of certain types of metals, such for instance as aluminum or its alloys which have a high rate of thermal expansion, presents difliculties which are due, for the-most part, to the highrate'of contraction of these metals as the casting cools. These difliculties are increased to some extent when the castings are made in permanent metal molds on accountof the rapid chilling effect of the molds. This rapid contraction on cooling has a tendency to cause cracks or a porous texture in certain parts of the casting unless special precautions are taken to avoid such defects.

It has been found that many of these difiiculties may be oven )me by following a-process of casting in which the metal is flowed into the mold with just sufiicient rapidity to completely fill the mold while the metal is still fluid and flowing into the mold. The rapidity of flow must not be great enough, however, to cause agitation of the flowing metal which has a tendency to entrap air and carry it into the mold. Suitable provision for the prompt escape of air in the mold as the metal enters should also be made.

A process whereby castings of this type have been successfully made at a rapid rate and in which most of these defects have been overcome is described in application filed of even date herewith. One of the objects of this invention is to provide apparatus suitable for carrying out such a process in a convenient and expeditious manpparatus for making Serial No. 556,568,

Another object is to provide such apparatus wherein the various operations involved are under the control of the operator at all times.

Further objects will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. in which:

Figure l is a vertical sectional View of a c apparatus embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the-mold frame and its connections.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional detail of the control Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3, but showing the mold open and the central core section Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5, but shows the lateral core sections colla psed so as to free the casting.

APPARATUS FOR CASTING .John Flammang, University City, Percy 'L.

Bowser and Herman Ernst, St. Louis, Mo., assignors to The Sterling Corporation, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Application August 12, 1931, Serial No. 556,570

Referring now to the drawings, 1 designates a furnace of any suitable type in which is mounted a retort 2 adapted to contain the casting metal. The furnace 1 may be heated in any suitable manner. In the illustration an oil burner 3 is shown for heating the same. The retort 2 is constructed so as to be air-tight, and is provided with an air connection 4 connected by a pipe or tube 5 with a suitable source of air pressure supply, not shown.

The retort is provided with a spigot 6 dipping 5 into themolten metal in the retort, and extended upwardly therefrom to discharge the liquid metal as will be explained later.

Mounted above the retort 2 is a supporting frame 7 on which the mold is mounted. The frame 7 is supported by a pair of arms 8 pivoted at 9 in any suitable manner on the furnace 1, or any suitable support. The pivots provide a hinged connection arranged so that the frame 7 may be moved downward or upward, toward or 76 away from the spigot 6.- Extending longitudinally of the frame 7 on the underside thereof, are rails 10 on which are mounted for sliding movement along the frame a pair of brackets 11. Mounted on the brackets 11 in any suitable manner, as by bolts 12, is a pair of mold sections 13. The arrangement is such that by moving the brackets 11 toward each other on the frame 7 the mold sections are brought together so as to close the mold, and by moving the brackets in the opposite directions the mold may be opened to free the casting. The apparatus illustrated is intended for casting trunk pistons, such as used in automobile engines. In such a case the sections 13 may be provided with pins 14 extending into the mold cavity to form the wrist pin bearing holes.

Each of the brackets 11 has connected thereto a piston rod 15 carrying a piston 16 adapted to work in a hydraulic cylinder 17. These pistons may be operated by hydraulic pressure as will be more fully described hereinafter, to separate the mold sections 13 or bring them together. The cylinders 17 are mounted on suitable brackets 18 on the frame 7.

Mounted for longitudinal movement on the frame 7 and extending between the mold sections 13 and the upper plate of each bracket 11 is a pair of rods 19. Each of the rods 19 carries at its inner end one of a pair of outer sections 20 of a three- 1 section collapsible core, of which the third section is indicated at 21. Each of the rods 19 is pivoted at 22 to a manipulating bar 23 whose rear end is pivoted at 24 on the frame 7 and whose forward end 25 provides a manipulating handle no support 33.

for operating the bars 23. By swinging these bars together on their pivots 24 or separating them, the core sections 20 may be collapsed or expanded, respectively.

Mounted so as to bridge the frame '7 at its middle portion is a bracket 26 on which is supported a hydraulic cylinder 27 whose piston 28 is connected by the piston rod 29 with the central core section 21.

The weight of the frame 7 and the parts mounted thereon is counterbalanced by a counterweight 30 connected to said frame by a suitable cable 31 passing over a pulley 32 mounted on a suitable By this arrangement the frame '7 may be easily raised or lowered on the hinge 9 so as to bring the mold down upon the spigot 6 or raise it therefrom.

The cylinders 17 and 27 are connected to a suitable source or hydraulic pressure supply thru a combination valve 34 which is shown in section in Figure 4. As shown in thisfigure the valve has a central cylindric cavity 35 within which a valve 36 is mounted to rotate. The stem of said valve is provided with a manipulating handle 3'7 by which it may be operated. The body of the valve 34 is provided with a series of passages as shown in Figure 4 connecting with the cavity 35 and to which the various conduit pipes are connected which convey the pressure fluid to these cylinders.

Referring to Figure 4 the pipe 33 leads to the valve 34 from a suitable source of hydraulic pressure supply, not shown, such as an oil pump or the like. The pipe 39 is the exhaust and takes the fluid back to a suitable container, not shown, for i e-circulation. The pipe A leads to the lower end of the cylinder 27. The pipe D leads to the upper end of said cylinder. The pipes B and B lead to the inner ends of the cylinders 17, B going to the left hand cylinder, 13 to the right hand cylinder as seen in Figure 2. The pipes C and C lead to the outer ends of the left and right hand cylinders 1'7 respectively. It

will be seen that with the valve 36 in the position shown in Figure 4 the pressure supply 38 is in communication with the pipes, A, B and 3*, while the exhaust 39 is in communication with the pipes C C and D. In this position, therefore, pressure is supplied to the lower end of the cylinder 27 and the inner ends of the cylinders 1'7, this will operate to force the pistons in all of these cylinders outwardly so as to retract the core section 21 and separate the mold sections 13 as shown in Figure 5. When the handle 3'7 is operated to turn the valve 36 thru ninety degrees to the position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 4, the connections of these cylinders are reversed. That is, the pipes A, B and B are connected with the exhaust 39 while the pipes C C and D are connected with the pressure supply 38. With the valve in this position the pistons will all be forced inwardly to the position shown in Figure 3 in which the core section 21 is lowered, and the mold sections 13 are brought together around the core. Adjusting valves 40 are placed in the pipes B and 'B so that the rate of flow of fluid thru these pipes may becontrolled. The valves ,40 are adjusted so as to retard the flow to a sufli cient extent to cause the cylinders 1'7 to lag somewhat in their action so as to operate after the cylinder 2'7. This provides that the core section 21 is withdrawn before the mold sections open and is reinserted before the mold sections close.

The pipe 5 provides an air connection to the retort 2 and is connected thru a valve 41 to a pipe 42 which leads to a source of air pressure supply, not shown. A pressure gauge 43 is connected in the pie 5 so as to indicate to the operator the amount of air pressure that is being applied to the surface of the molten metal in the retort 2. In the operation of this device, starting with the mold closed the operator lowers the frame '7 manually so as to bring the mold 13 down upon the spigot 6. An insulating pad 44 in the form of a washer of asbestos, or other suitable material, may be interposed between the spigot and the mold so as to prevent undue heating of the mold by contact with the spigot and also to prevent leakage of the molten metal. Having positioned the mold on the spigot, the operator manipulates the valve 41 so as to admit air to the retort 2 to a certain predetermined pressure which is indicated on the gauge 43. The operator soon learns by experience the exact pressure required to give the best results with each casting. The pressure on the surface of the fluid metal in the retort 2 forces that metal up thru the spigot 6 and into the mold cavity. The metal flows into the mold from the bottom while the air in the mold is forced Ordinarily the cracks between the mold sections provide suflicient ventage. The pressure may be adjusted so that the flow of metal is quiet, but yet sufiiciently rapid to fill the mold completely before the metal sets. When the mold is full the valve 41 is closed, thereby shutting off the pressure from the retort. This valve is adapted at the same time'to permit escape of the air pressure from the retort.

After waiting a sufiicient interval of time to permit the metal to set, the operator then raises the frame '7 on its hinge 9 to the position of Figure 1. He then swings the handle 37 to the position of Figure 4, whereupon the cylinders 2'7 and 1'7 operate to first retract the core section 21 and then to open the mold. This brings the parts to the positions shown in Figure 5, in which the mold is open, and section 21 withdrawn and the casting 45 is held suspended on the outer core sections 20. The operator now grasps the casting with a pair of tongs, and then manipulates the handles 25 to force the core sections 20 inwardly to the collapsed position illustrated in Figure 6. The casting is now entirely free and may be removed. Upon removal of the casting, the sections 20 are first separated by operating the handles 25 and then the handle 37'is swun back to its original position whereupon the cylinders operate first to restore the core section 21 to its position, and then to close the mold sections 13. The above described cycle of operations may now be repeated to make a new castmg.

In order to insure that the metal in thespigot 6 remains fluid, a jet 46 may be arranged to project a flame against the spigot. This may in fact be arranged to keep the spigot at an elevated temperature, and the temperature of the metal flowing therethrough may thus be controlled.

It' will be seen that this invention provides casting apparatus which is simple to operate and by which castings may be turned out at a rapid rate. The mold is arranged to be moved to and from the spigot which supplies the casting metal. The hydraulic devices are adapted to quickly apply suflicient force to manipulate the mold and core sections and with little effort on the part of the operator. The metal is flowed to the mold upwardly .under a controlled pressure, and the actual pressure is indicated to the operator at all times so that slight adjustments thereof, may be 15';

made from time to time to meet the immediate conditions in the apparatus. Accordingly, it is easy for the operator to learn by a little experience just how to control the casting operation so that a minimum of defective castings may be produced.

While the apparatus of this invention has been described as a unitary whole, it will be understood that the individual features or subcombinations thereof, may be useful of themselves without references to remaining portions of the device. It is understood that the employment of such individual features or subcombinations is contemplated by this invention and is within the scope of the appended claims.

It is obvious that various changes may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, in the details of construction and operation without departing from the spirit of this invention; it is to be understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the specific details shown and/or described.

Having thus described this invention, what is Y claimed is:

1. Apparatus for making metal castings in permanent molds, comprising, a retort for the molten metal, an upwardly directed spigot for discharging molten metal from said retort, a frame movable above said retort, an openable mold having sections movable horizontally on said frame and a plurality of core sections movable relatively to free the casting, said mold having a gate engageable with said spigot, means for moving certain of said core section: upwardly, and means for moving said mold sections laterally. i

2. Apparatus for making metal castings in permanent molds, comprising, a retort for the molten metal, an upwardly directed spigot for discharging molten metal from said retort, a frame movable above said retort, an openable mold having sections movable horizontally on said frame and a plurality of core sections movable relatively. to free the casting, said mold having a gate engageable with said spigot, fluid operated means for moving certain of said core sections upwardly, and fluid operated means for moving said mold sections laterally.

3. Apparatus for making metal castings in permanent molds, comprising, a retort for the molten metal, an upwardly directed spigot for discharging molten metal from said retort, a frame movable above said retort, an openable mold having sections movable horizontally on said frame and a plurality of core sections movable relatively to free the casting, said mold having a gate engageable with said spigot, means for moving certain of said core sections upwardly, means for moving said mold sections laterally, and controlling means adapted to cause said moving means to operate simultaneously.

, 4. Apparatus for making metal castings in permanent molds, comprising, a retort for the molten metal, an upwardly directed spigot for discharging molten metal from said retort, a frame movable above said retort, an openable mold having sections movable horizontally on said frame and a plurality of core sections movable relatively to free the casting, said mold having a gate engageable with said spigot, fluid operated means for moving certain-of said core sections upwardly, fluid operated means for moving said mold sections laterally, and manually operated means for moving other of said core sections.

5. Apparatus for making metal castings :in permanent molds, comprising,'an air-tight retort for the molten metal, an upwardly directed spigot for discharging molten metal from said retort, a frame movable above said retort, an openable mold having sections movable horizontally on said frame and a plurality of core sec tions movablerelatively to free the casting, said mold having a gate engageable with said spigot, means for moving certain of said core sections upwardly, means for moving said mold sections laterally, connections from said retort to a source of air pressure supply, a valve in said connections, and a pressure indicator in said connections between said valve and said retort,

6. Apparatus for making metal castings in permanent molds, comprising, an air-tight retort for the molten metal, an upwardly directed spigot for discharging metal from said retort, a frame hinged for vertical movement above said retort, an openable mold depending from said frame and having a gate at the bottom thereof engageable with said spigot, an upstanding bracket on said frame, a sectional core for said mold having a section thereof mounted for vertical movement.

on said bracket, .fluid operated means on said bracket for moving said core section, fluid cperated means for opening said mold, connections from said fluid operated means and said retort to sources of. pressure supply, and controlling means in said connections.

7. Apparatus for making metal castings in permanent molds, comprising, an air-tight retort for the molten metal, an upwardly directed spigot for discharging metal from said retort, a frame hinged for vertical movement above said retort, an openable mold depending from said frame and having a gate at the bottom thereof, engageable with said spigct, an upstanding bracket on said frame, a sectional core for said mold having a section thereof mounted for vertical movement on said bracket and another section thereof mov able laterally on said frame, fluid operated means on said bracket for moving said core section, fluid operated means for opening said mold, connections from said fluid operated means and said retort to sources of pressure supply, and controlling'means in said connections.

8. Apparatus for making metal castings in permanent molds, comprising, anvair-tight retort for the molten metal, an upwardly directed spigot for discharging metal from said retort, a frame hinged for vertical movement above said retort, an openable mold depending from said frame and having a gate at the bottom thereof engageable with said spigot, an upstanding bracket on said frame, a sectional core for said mold having a section thereof mounted for vertical movement on said bracket and another section thereof movable laterally on said frame, fluid operated means on said bracket for moving said core section, fluid operated means for opening said mold, connections from said fluid operated means and said retort to sources of pressure supply, controlling means in said connection, and manually operable means for moving said other section.

9. Apparatus for making metal castings in permanent molds, comprising, a retort for the molten metal having a discharge spigot, a frame hinged for movement toward and from said spigot, an openable mold having separable sections movable laterally on said frame, a sectional core for said mold having a section mounted for vertical movement on said frame, fluid operated means for moving each of said mold sections and said core section, and means for controlling the movement of said sections.

10. Apparatus for making metal castings in permanent molds, comprising, a retort for the molten metal having a discharge spigot, a frame hinged for movement toward and from said spigot, an openable mold having separable sections movable laterally on said frame, a sectional core for said mold having a section mounted for vertical movement on said frame, fluid operated means for moving each of said mold sections and said core section; connections from each of said fluid operated means to a source of fluid pressure supply, and a single valve controlling all said connections.

ll. An apparatus for casting trunk pistons, comprising, a support, a mold on said support provided with a mold cavity and with a gate lead-, ing to the bottom of said cavity, a series of core sections including center and side sections extending downwardly into said cavity to form the interior of the piston, means for retracting said center section, means on said support adapted to guide said side sections for movement toward and from each other, and means for moving said side sections.

12. An apparatus for casting trunk pistons, comprising, a support, a mold on said support provided with a mold cavity and with agate leading to the bottom of said cavity, a series of core sections extending downwardly into said cavity to form the interior of the piston, means on said support for guiding said core sections, means for moving the guided core sections, a base, and means for mounting said support for movement on said base.

13. An apparatus for casting trunk pistons, comprising, a support, a mold on said support provided with a mold cavity and with a gate leading to the bottom of said cavity, a base, means for mounting said support for movement on said base, a series of core sections including center and side sections extending downwardly into said cavity to form the interior of the piston, means on said support for guiding said core sections, and means for moving the guided sections, means on said support adapted to guide the center section for retraction upwardly, and means for moving said center section.

14. An apparatus for casting trunk pistons, comprising, a support, a plurality of separable mold sections guided for movement on said support and provided with a mold cavity and a gate leading to the bottom of said-cavity, a series of core sections extending downwardly into said cavity to form the interior of the piston, means on said support'for guiding said core sections, means for moving the guided core sections, a base,

and means for mounting said support, for movement on said base.

15. A piston molding machine, comprising, an

mechanism for withdrawing said core sections from the casting.

16. A piston molding machine, comprising, an outer mold having an ingate at the bottom thereof, a source of molten metal below said mold and having a spigot, a frame supporting said mold adapted to swing to and from said spigot, a sectional core cooperating with said mold, and mechanism on said frame operating to withdraw the sections of said core from'the casting successively.

JOHN FLAMMANG. PERCY L. BOWSER. HERMAN ERNST. 

